Daily Living Supports Explained: A Guide for NDIS Participants

If your NDIS plan includes funding under Assistance with Daily Life, it means the scheme recognises you need support to complete everyday tasks at home or in the community. This funding can pay for personal care, help around the house, supported independent living, and more. It does not cover every expense in your life, but it covers a meaningful range of supports that help you live as independently as possible. This guide explains what daily living supports are, who can access them, how the money works, and how to find a provider you can trust.

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What are daily living supports under the NDIS?

Daily living supports sit within the NDIS support category formally called Assistance with Daily Life (sometimes listed on plans as Core Supports - Daily Activities). This is one of the most commonly funded categories in the scheme, and it covers supports that help you carry out everyday tasks you would otherwise struggle to do because of your disability.

What counts as a daily living support?

The NDIS Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits set out what providers can charge under this category. Supports that typically fall here include:

• Personal care - showering, dressing, grooming, toileting and other hygiene tasks
• Meal preparation and feeding assistance
• Help with household tasks such as cleaning, laundry and basic home maintenance
• Overnight or 24-hour support in your home
• Supported Independent Living (SIL) - where you live in shared or individual accommodation with funded support workers
• Short-term accommodation and respite (sometimes funded separately as STA)
• Community nursing care for tasks like wound management or medication administration
• Assistance with travel and transport to appointments or community activities (where this is part of a daily living support)

Not every item above will be in every plan. Your plan is built around your individual goals and what the NDIA considers "reasonable and necessary" for your situation.

What daily living supports do NOT cover

It helps to know the limits early. Daily living funding is not designed to pay for:

• Supports a family member would typically provide for free
• General household expenses like groceries or utility bills
• Supports that are the responsibility of another government system (for example, mainstream health care)
• Supports unrelated to your disability

If you are unsure whether a specific support is fundable, your support coordinator, local area coordinator (LAC) or the NDIA can clarify this before you commit to a provider.

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Who can access daily living funding?

Daily living supports are available to NDIS participants whose plans include Core Supports funding. Because Core Supports is a flexible budget, you can generally move money between daily activities, social and community participation, consumables, and transport within that bucket - though you should check your plan to confirm whether your Core budget is flexible or stated.

You do not need to be a specific age or have a specific diagnosis to access daily living supports. What matters is that the NDIA has determined you have a disability-related need for the support. This is assessed during your planning conversation.

If you are new to the NDIS and want to understand how the process works for participants and their families, the participant guide on OpenWay gives a useful overview of how the marketplace side of things works once your plan is in place.

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How is daily living funding managed?

Your plan will specify how your funding is managed. This affects who can pay for supports and which providers you can use.

NDIA-managed (agency-managed)

If your plan is NDIA-managed, you can only use NDIS-registered providers. The NDIA pays the provider directly from your plan. You do not handle the money yourself.

Plan-managed

A plan manager handles the financial side on your behalf. You can use both registered and unregistered providers. The plan manager pays invoices and keeps records. This gives you more flexibility in who you choose.

Self-managed

You manage your own funding and pay providers directly. You can use any provider, registered or not, as long as the support is reasonable and necessary. You keep receipts and records yourself.

Understanding your management type matters when you start searching for providers, because it determines who is eligible to support you. Browse NDIS-registered providers in your area to see who is available, whether your plan is agency-managed or otherwise.

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How to choose a daily living provider

Choosing the right provider is one of the most important decisions you will make with your NDIS plan. A good match means consistent, respectful support that genuinely helps you work toward your goals. A poor match can mean disrupted care, wasted funding, and real stress for you and your family.

Here is a practical checklist to work through before you sign a service agreement:

1. Check registration and credentials. If your plan is agency-managed, the provider must be NDIS-registered. You can verify registration on the NDIS Commission website. For plan-managed and self-managed participants, you have more flexibility, but it is still worth asking about qualifications, police checks and Working With Children Checks where relevant.

1. Ask about worker screening. All workers delivering daily living supports must hold a valid NDIS Worker Screening Check. This is a national check managed through state and territory screening units. Do not assume - ask the provider directly.

1. Clarify availability and consistency. Find out how many regular workers you will have, how shift handovers work, and what happens when your usual worker is sick or on leave. Consistency matters enormously in personal care.

1. Understand their cancellation and notice policies. Under the NDIS Pricing Arrangements, providers can charge for short-notice cancellations. Make sure you understand the rules before you sign.

1. Review the service agreement carefully. A service agreement is a legal document. It should clearly state the supports to be delivered, the price, the notice period for ending the arrangement, and the complaints process.

1. Ask about cultural and language needs. If you or your family member has specific cultural, religious or language requirements, ask upfront whether the provider can meet them. This includes gender preferences for personal care workers.

1. Trial periods. Some providers offer a short trial period before a longer commitment. This can be a low-risk way to see whether the relationship works.

Support coordinators play a key role in helping participants through this process. If you work with a coordinator, the support coordinator workspace on OpenWay is designed to help you shortlist providers, share options with participants, and track enquiries in one place.

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Red flags to watch for

Not every provider operates to the standard you deserve. Here are some warning signs that should prompt you to ask more questions or look elsewhere.

• Pressure to sign quickly. A reputable provider will give you time to read the service agreement and ask questions. Anyone rushing you to sign on the spot is a concern.
• Vague pricing. Providers must give you a clear breakdown of what they will charge and at what rate. Vague answers about costs are a red flag.
• No written service agreement. Verbal agreements are not sufficient. If a provider refuses to put terms in writing, do not proceed.
• Workers without screening checks. This is a compliance requirement, not optional. If a provider cannot confirm their workers hold current NDIS Worker Screening Checks, walk away.
• Promises that sound too good. No provider can guarantee specific outcomes. Promises of dramatic improvements or claims that they are the only provider who can help you are worth scrutinising.
• Poor communication. If a provider is slow to return calls, unclear in their answers, or dismissive of your questions during the enquiry phase, that behaviour is unlikely to improve once you are a client.

OpenWay's trust and safety information explains what verification steps are applied to providers listed on the platform, so you know what baseline checks have been completed before you make an enquiry.

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What to expect from a good daily living provider

When you find a provider who is a good fit, the relationship should feel collaborative. You should be treated as the expert on your own life. A good provider will:

• Involve you in decisions about how and when supports are delivered
• Respect your routines, preferences and communication style
• Provide consistent workers where possible, and introduce new workers properly
• Raise any concerns with you directly and promptly
• Support you to work toward the goals in your plan, not just complete tasks

The NDIS is built on the principle of choice and control. Your provider works for you, not the other way around.

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Frequently asked

Can I change my daily living provider if things are not working out?

Yes. You have the right to end a service agreement and switch providers. Most agreements include a notice period - commonly two to four weeks - so check your agreement for the details. If you are in an urgent situation involving safety concerns, contact the NDIS Commission on 1800 035 544. You do not need a reason to change providers, and doing so will not affect your NDIS plan.

How much funding will I get for daily living supports?

Funding amounts vary significantly between participants because they are based on your individual goals, support needs and living situation. There is no fixed dollar amount. Your plan will show your Core Supports budget, and your support coordinator or LAC can help you understand how far that budget is likely to stretch based on current NDIS price limits.

Can a family member be paid to provide my daily living supports?

In limited circumstances, yes. The NDIA has guidelines that allow family members or close friends to be paid as support workers, but this is generally only approved where there is no other reasonable option - for example, in very remote areas or for participants with highly complex needs. If this applies to you, raise it during your planning conversation and ask for the decision to be documented in your plan.

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How OpenWay can help

Finding the right daily living provider can feel overwhelming, especially when you are new to the NDIS or searching in an area with limited options. OpenWay is a free-to-use marketplace for NDIS participants, families and support coordinators that makes it easier to browse, compare and contact providers across Australia.

You can browse daily living and personal care providers on OpenWay, filter by location and support type, and send enquiries directly through the platform. There is no cost to participants or families to use OpenWay, and you are never locked into any provider just by making an enquiry.

If you are a support coordinator looking to streamline how you find and share provider options with participants, the support coordinator tools on OpenWay are built for exactly that workflow.

OpenWay is not part of the NDIS, NDIA or NDIS Commission. Final scope, pricing, travel, cancellation rules and non-face-to-face charges must be confirmed in a written service agreement between the participant (or their authorised support person) and the provider.